The Sri Lankan Navy has seized over 344.5 kg of Kerala cannabis with three suspects and a dinghy near Analathivu island, Jaffna, in the early hours today. The street value of the seized stock of Kerala cannabis is believed to be over 103 million Sri Lankan Rupees.
In a statement released on the Navy website, the Navy told, “the Fast Attack Craft P 497 of 04th Fast Attack Craft Flotilla (4 FAF) attached to the Northern Naval Command intercepted a suspicious dinghy heading landward, in seas northwest of the Analathivu island today. During further search of the dinghy, about 344kg and 550g (wet weight) of Kerala cannabis in 11 polythene sacks have been found by the Navy. The operation also made way to apprehend 03 suspects and the dinghy used for this illegal act.
It is suspected that the smugglers might have retrieved the stock of Kerala cannabis to the dinghy at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) to smuggle them into the island.”
“Three suspects held in this operation were identified as residents of Nachchikuda, Mannar and Guru Nagar Jaffna, from 34 to 38 years of age.”
The smuggling of cannabis (Ganja) has significantly increased after the end of the war.
In 2016, Tamil Net reported that the Sri Lankan military under Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former ‘Defence Secretary’ of occupying Colombo, deployed narcotics as a tool of genocidal war against Eelam Tamils. It was largely the Mannar area, which functioned as the hub for drug smuggling during the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. The transition to Jaffna has taken place during the rule of Maithiripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe.
